By Mr. Will Wong
While it already has made waves at Cannes and TIFF, Norwegian Writer/Director Joachim Trier brings the brilliant finale to his acclaimed “Oslo Trilogy” to Sundance. The Romantic Dramedy is shortlisted to represent Norway at the upcoming Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Trier continues to explore life today in this Norwegian capitol and at the center of the story is Julie (Renate Reinsve in her award-winning performance), an almost-thirty woman still figuring it out. We meet her as a medical student, who then decides she wants to study Psychology. She wants to be a Photographer. And then a Writer. She meets Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie) known for his politically-incorrect comic books, and while he is some 15 years older than she, they strike a deep connection and fall in love. As their relationship progresses, there are some points of contention. Aksel has figured out who he is, though Julie really hasn’t. He wants children, though she isn’t quite there yet. And more so, Aksel has a perspective that has come with age that makes Julie feel diminished. Julie meets Elvind (Herbert Nordrum) and they fall in love, filling voids in their own current respective relationships. But as Aksel‘s world begins to unfold, Julie still finds him on her mind and she must confront herself as her life reaches a crossroad.
The performances from our two leads feel so remarkably effortless. We feel we are getting all of Julie in Reinsve‘s thoughtful work, matched by Lie who takes Aksel through a range of emotions and questions. I already can envision adaptations of the Film in other languages with Actors chomping at the bit to take on these rich, complex roles.
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is gorgeous, subtle and thought-provoking storytelling that equally captures the lightness and humour of falling in love. At once, it dives deep into the pain of soul searching and falling out of love as well, while considering life since #MeToo and into the pandemic. Trier has gifted us with something that is both now and timeless.
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD screens at Sundance:
After winning awards at Cannes and raves at TIFF, here is your first look at Joachim Trier‘s THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.
Synopsis:
The Worst Person in The World is a modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo. It chronicles four years in the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.
MK2 | MILE END release THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, coming soon.
(Photo/video credit: Neon/MK2 | MILE END)
We don’t believe we made it through another TIFF! While this year’s Festival certainly was a bit more scaled-back we definitely were not short of things to do, equally putting in long days. So thankful to the Team for contributing their Reviews of the most key titles to surface at TIFF ’21 including Dave Baldwin, Amanda Gilmore and George Kozera. So thankful to be a Torontonian and be gifted every year with this amazing Festival. We’re so appreciative of the considerations for our safety and the fact that we were able to enjoy the Festival both in-person and at-home. We will never take for granted this flexibility.
Once again we must thank some of our official partners in our coverage of the Festival this year! We couldn’t have done it without their generosity and support and we’re always thrilled to get our Readers and Followers excited about their amazing products and services.
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The lucky winner of our TIFF ’21 Survival Pack Giveaway was Jessica (@SheBakesHere), who won an amazing haul of products from our official partners!
As the winner, Jessica received:
•1 $50 Starbucks Canada Gift Card
•1 $50 Chatime gift card + 1x T-shirt +1x Tumbler + 1x Stainless Steel Straw set
•1 $50 Gift Card at Lone Star Texas Grill
•1 $50 Gift Card at Frankie’s Nashville Hot Chicken
•1 Happy Gift Set including 1 Rose Quartz Roller + Gua Sha set, 1 Happy Face Mask, 1 bottle 250ml Happy Sanitizer and a Happy 3-Toothbrush set
•1 The Beauty of Eczema’s Bathing Oil and Bath Salts At-Home Spa Set
•1 Antipodes Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Beehive Box
•1 boscia Skin Nutrition Body Collection
•1 bottle of Nature’s Sunshine new Hair, Skin & Nails capsules and BioGuard Hand and Body Cream
•1 H&M Canada VIP Card
•1 Official MR. WILL WONG Baseball Cap
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Team Mr. Will also share their favourites of the Festival and also their predictions which Film will win that coveted People’s Choice Award!
AMANDA GILMORE (Twitter: @GilmoreAmanda)
Belfast
Titane
The Worst Person in the World
Petite Maman
Spencer
Would Also Highly Recommend: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Power of the Dog, Dune & The Humans
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Belfast
DAVID BALDWIN (Twitter: @DaveMABaldwin)
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Belfast
TIFF’21 was a substantial upgrade from TIFF’20. Full Stop. The quality of films was substantially stronger, the in-person and digital offerings were better, and the all-around experience was so much closer to the TIFF we all know and love from those simpler, pre-pandemic times. There are some learnings the programming team will need to reflect on for next year’s festival, but I sincerely hope they continue with the hybrid experience despite some of the hiccups they encountered this year. It allows for an easier and more efficient means of discovery for everyone, and lets audiences still feel like they are part of the action even if they are watching from home. I had a blast watching so many movies this year, and am already looking forward to endlessly re-watching many of them. Yet I know in my bones that I would not have been able to see nearly as many had it only been an in-person festival. And while I am bummed to have missed out on Last Night in Soho and Spencer, I am overjoyed at everything I did get to see — including some of the more forgettable titles. Next year will no doubt look different again, but here’s hoping it will still feel like TIFF because where else can you go from watching a hit Broadway musical adaptation like Dear Evan Hansen to an Oscar-prestige play like The Power of the Dog to the absolute madness of the Palme d’Or winning Titane?
GEORGE KOZERA (Twitter: @PartyG)
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Belfast
JUSTIN WALDMAN (Twitter: @DubsReviews)
Titane
Belfast
Petite Maman
Encounter
Violet
People’s Choice Prediction: Belfast
MR. WILL (Twitter: @mrwillw)
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Spencer
We’re still mesmerized by Kristen Stewart’s work in Spencer, which almost is side-by-side as our favourite with Jessica Chastain‘s mind-blowing portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye! We still are obsessed with Last Night in Soho and can’t wait to see it again in October! We missed The Power of the Dog but are thankful it will be available soon on Netflix! So excited to see some of these titles propel into Awards Season success.
#TIFF21: Can we talk about #Spencer for a second? #KristenStewart pic.twitter.com/HnsQqLL4lS
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) September 10, 2021
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Last but not least, some of our favourite moments with the talent at the Festival:
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Until next TIFF!
We hope you had a blast following our adventures and Reviews. In case you missed them, you always can catch-up right here.
Do not forget to check-out the TIFF TRIBUTE GALA AWARDS, airing Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7PM ET on CTV and the CTV App!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Review by George Kozera
Renate Reinsve. Remember this name, as I cannot fathom the upcoming awards season without seeing her name on many lists for Best Actress, an accolade she already received at this year at Cannes.
In THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, she plays Julie a shiftless almost 30-year-old who keeps changing her college majors on a whim and even dumps her current boyfriend as she felt his being around a huge inconvenience. One night she meets Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a renowned Comic Book Artist who is 15 years her senior. After their first night together, Aksel tells Julie that they should no longer see each other as he can envision falling helplessly in love with her and he would be devastated if their relationship ended. Julie promises that would never happen. It was a promise that would ultimately be broken.
Acclaimed Norwegian Director, Joachim Trier, has fashioned a brilliant movie that is heartbreakingly honest, inherently-intelligent, scathingly funny. It is sexy as hell, brutally astute and tear-jerking. Renate Reinsve is a force to be reckoned with and is impossible to ignore. It is a masterful performance and I was completely gobsmacked. Anders Danielsen Lie is equally phenomenal as he navigates through the perilous waters of being in a relationship with Julie.
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is easily one of the best movies of 2021.
It screens:
Sat, Sep 11 DIGITAL PREMIERE SCREENING digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 5 PM
Wed, Sep 15DIGITAL SECOND SCREENINGdigital TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 PM
Fri, Sep 17IN-PERSONRoy Thomson Hall 5:30 PM
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